Brisbane Heat 4 for 119 (Banton 56, Lynn 31, Sams 2-24) beat Sydney Thunder 4 for 60 (Hales 20*, Prestwidge 2-15) by 16 runs (via DLS method)
Tom Banton struck the second-fastest Big Bash fifty of all time (16 balls) and Chris Lynn blazed to a 13-ball 31 against Sydney Thunder to set up Brisbane Heat's win in a rain-hit game that had multiple interruptions.
The eight-over-a-side game began nearly two hours after the scheduled start of play. Thereafter, another short break in the second innings broke the game's momentum. Eventually, it was all too much for Thunder to do, as they suffered their third loss of the season. As for the Heat, they moved to fifth on the points table after winning their second game on the trot.
Heat openers put on a show
With the game reduced to eight overs per side, Banton walked in with a new partner on the night. Lynn, who usually batted at No. 3 this season, took the non-striker's end, and witnessed his young opening partner drill a six and two fours off the game's first three deliveries. That set the tone for the Heat innings as they took 18 off the first over bowled by Golden Cap holder Daniel Sams.
The second over from Chris Morris was much of the same, but this time it came from the Heat captain. Lynn cleared his front leg and and hammered three fours and a six - including two shots over the bowler's head - to claim 21 off the second over.
Having collected 39 in the Powerplay for the loss of no wicket, the duo played out the third over from Chris Green before taking on the fourth over delivered by Arjun Nair. After playing out a dot off the over's first ball, Banton lined Nair up for five sixes in a row to thump 30 off the over. The final six brought up Banton's fifty in 16 deliveries. Nair's horror over also tied the record for the most runs delivered in a BBL over.
Both batsmen, however, fell over the next two overs. Chris Tremain's wide yorker saw Banton hole out to long on while Lynn was caught at deep midwicket. It brought in new batsmen Max Bryant and Ben Cutting, with the former hitting a six in the sixth over to bring up the team hundred. However, the Heat could add only 16 more runs in the last two overs to finish on 4 for 119.
Too much for Thunder to do
Usman Khawaja and Alex Hales opened the batting for Thunder, needing 15 per over to win. Khawaja struck a six off the innings' second delivery but couldn't find any other boundary in the first over as Peter Lalor used his change-ups to force errors from the left-hander. Khawaja's frustration came to the fore when he was bowled in the second over by left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan. At the end of two overs, Thunder were 1 for 18.
But the rain returned in the third over to send the players scampering back. At that stage Thunder needed 102 off 36 balls and looked the happier side leaving the ground, since it looked like the game may be called off.
The rain stopped just in time for the Thunder chase to be adjusted into a five-over shootout, with the hosts needing 55 in 17 balls to win. But the Heat bowlers successfully bowled to their field - going full and wide to the batsmen - to strangle the run flow and seal a 16-run win.
